2.18.2009

$64 billion.

Even though I am not considered "Nevada resident" (Nor do I want to be one), the economy is starting to take its toll on the school. Everyone in America (well, I guess worldwide too) is being hurt but the money loss that is engulfing us. Many schools are having to make budget cuts and find ways to strengthen some departments, and completely eliminate other departments. UNR is facing a $64 billion decrease in funding because of the mess that we are all in. This means increase in tuition (especially for those of us who do not pay in state, and are not on scholarships, which surprisingly is a fairly high number) and cutting of tutorial programs and majors in general. Of course, even though we are going through major crisis, a new math and science building (state of the art) is still able to be built right now. Hummmmm, well to me, more or less because I am not interested in either math or science, this seems completely unneeded. Come on UNR, lets get real! The tuition since I have been at UNR as already increased several times because of all the other new buildings that they have put up, which were not built with necessarily our consent, yet the input of those students who graduated last year and previous. Yet, because of their want for a new library and a new student union, and a new athletic tutoring center we are paying for the deficient (okay, yes, there are many wealthy people that have paid to have these building put up..but we (the students) are the people that are paying to keep these buildings running essential). Programs such as the writing center, the math center and other aids are being taken away from students because of the need of money, classes are starting to become limited due to the laying off of many professors. Is this going to set me back from my graduation goal of next spring because I can't get into that one class because of the budget cut? I have never used any of the aid offerings since I have attended school, but, I have been paying for them...hummm...yes, I know many students do utilize these goodies very often, but is it fair for those of us who do not use those aids to pay for them? How about the medical center, and tickets for games, and to use the computers on campus? After four years of being at UNR I had never used a school computer until last semester (only because my work HAD to be done on a PC) but..I was still paying for that. The medical center, okay, yes I do go here...only because my insurance tends to be constantly questionable. Tickets for the games, this year I haven't had time to go to a game.

Think of the per diem that is given to the athletes here, we are paying for that. The athletics here at UNR are not good enough to bring in the money to pay for that themselves. Maybe instead of cutting educational programs things like "shooting", tennis and other unwatched sports become cut. I love athletics, but now that my tuition depends on this it seems somewhat unfair to a full paying student.

What about the kids that are on the millennium scholarship students? Yes, it is a great idea (this is a programs which many of the students from here are on. It is given to those who's parents have not completed college and it was Nevada's way of pushing a college education on students. Of course they basically have all their school payed for, and hey...they get extra money to live too! But what do us students on normal tuition get besides a diploma? Nothing.), but you talk to students at UNR that are on this scholarship and some agree that the way the money is distributed is not fair.

Hopefully, UNR reevaluate where money is going in the school. Leave us with our older buildings, they have character; take away the sports that no one knows about unless putting it into google; keep the aids, but make it economically friendly to those who do not use it (as well as computers, medical clinic, etc.) This is a real wake up to us students, and I think we will start to realize how lucky we were to have all this "stuff" when we were freshmen. Maybe, magically $64 billion will appear and bring us back to normal, gosh, if that could only be true!

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